Retirement doesn’t have to mean the end of earning income. For many parents, it’s actually the perfect time to explore small business opportunities that are less stressful, more flexible, and personally fulfilling. After years of working hard and raising a family, retirement opens the door to turning hobbies, skills, and life experience into something profitable.

Whether your goal is to supplement your pension, stay mentally active, or simply enjoy a meaningful routine, starting a small business can be one of the best decisions you make. In this article, we’ll explore practical and realistic business ideas that parents can start during retirement.

Why Start a Business During Retirement?

Before diving into the ideas, it’s important to understand why many retirees choose to start a business:

• Extra Income: Helps cover daily expenses or unexpected costs.
• Flexibility: You control your schedule and workload.
• Purpose: Staying productive can improve mental and emotional health.
• Legacy: You can build something to pass on to your children.

The key is to choose a business that matches your energy level, interests, and financial capacity.

If you love cooking, this is one of the most practical businesses you can start. Many parents already have years of experience preparing meals, making this a natural transition.

You can sell:

• Home-cooked meals
• Baked goods
• Snacks or local delicacies

Start small by selling to neighbors, friends, or through social media. This business requires minimal investment and can be done right from your kitchen.

A small neighborhood store is a classic retirement business. It’s simple to manage and provides steady daily income.

Advantages include:

• Consistent demand
• Easy to operate
• Community interaction

You can expand over time by adding mobile load, bills payment services, or even frozen goods.

With the rise of e-commerce, parents can now run a business without leaving home. Online selling is perfect for retirees who want flexibility.

Popular items to sell include:

• Clothing and accessories
• Household items
• Health products

Platforms like Facebook Marketplace or online shopping apps make it easy to connect with customers.

4. Rental Business

If you have extra space or assets, renting them out can provide passive income.

Examples:

• Room or apartment rental
• Vehicle rental
• Event equipment rental (chairs, tents, etc.)

This type of business requires less daily effort once set up properly.

5. Gardening and Plant Selling

For parents who enjoy gardening, this can be both relaxing and profitable.

You can sell:

• Ornamental plants
• Herbs and vegetables
• Landscaping services

With the growing interest in home gardening, this business has strong potential.

Laundry services are always in demand, especially in busy communities.

You can start with:

• Wash-and-dry services
• Ironing services
• Pickup and delivery options

This business can be scaled gradually depending on your capacity.

7. Tutoring or Coaching

Parents with professional or academic experience can share their knowledge through tutoring.

Opportunities include:

• Academic tutoring (Math, English, etc.)
• Music lessons
• Life skills coaching

This is a low-cost business that allows you to make a meaningful impact.

8. Handicrafts and DIY Products

If you enjoy creating things, you can turn your hobby into a source of income.

Examples:

• Handmade bags
• Decorations
• Personalized gifts

These can be sold online or at local markets.

9. Small Farming or Livestock

If you have access to land, small-scale farming can be a rewarding retirement business.

You can raise:

Or grow crops such as vegetables and fruits. This can also reduce your household expenses while generating income.

10. Boarding House or Bed-and-Breakfast

If you have extra rooms, converting them into a rental space is a great long-term business.

This is ideal for areas near:

• Schools
• Offices
• Tourist spots

It provides steady monthly income and can be managed with minimal effort.

Tips for Choosing the Right Retirement Business

Not all businesses are suitable for everyone. Here are some important tips:

• Start Small: Avoid large investments at the beginning.
• Choose What You Enjoy: Passion makes the work easier.
• Consider Your Health: Pick a business that matches your physical ability.
• Manage Time Wisely: Retirement should still feel relaxed.
• Involve Family: This can strengthen relationships and share responsibilities.

Retirement is not the end of productivity—it’s a new beginning. For many parents, starting a small business provides financial security, personal fulfillment, and a renewed sense of purpose.

The best business is not necessarily the biggest or most profitable one, but the one that fits your lifestyle and brings you joy. Whether it’s cooking, selling, teaching, or growing plants, there are countless opportunities waiting to be explored.

Take the first step, start small, and enjoy the journey. After all, retirement should not just be about resting—it should also be about living fully and meaningfully.

Disclaimer: Before starting any business, it is recommended to check local regulations, permits, and requirements in your area to ensure compliance with the law.

In today’s fast-paced BPO industry, workstation efficiency plays a critical role in maintaining service quality, improving agent productivity, and managing operational costs. As organizations continue to scale, traditional desktop environments often become more difficult and expensive to maintain due to their larger footprint, higher power consumption, and deployment complexity.

Modern BPOs require workstation solutions that are compact, reliable, scalable, and built for long-term business operations.

The combination of the ASUS NUC 16 Pro and ASUS VA249HG delivers a smarter and more efficient alternative to traditional desktop setups for modern BPO environments.

 ASUS NUCs deliver enterprise-grade reliability with MIL-STD-tested durability and an RMA rate of less than 1%, helping reduce unexpected hardware failures, minimize service interruptions, and lower the operational burden on IT teams managing large workstation fleets.

Compared to traditional desktop setups, organizations can reduce electricity consumption by up to 48%. With typical power usage ranging from only 60W to 120W, ASUS NUCs are designed for energy-efficient operations, making them an ideal solution for businesses where electricity is a major operational expense—especially BPO environments running 24/7 at scale. Through lower power consumption and operational efficiency, companies can potentially save up to PHP 1.4 million in operating costs.

With its ultra-compact 4×4 form factor, ASUS NUCs help maximize workspace efficiency, allowing BPO operators to optimize office layouts and accommodate more workstations within the same floor area. Compared to traditional tower desktops, ASUS NUCs can save up to 80% more space without compromising performance. The ultra-compact ASUS NUC 16 Pro is designed to maximize every square meter of the production floor while delivering enterprise-ready performance for demanding business environments.

Paired with the ASUS VA249HG monitor, the latest ASUS NUC 16 Pro provides BPO companies with a smarter, more scalable workstation solution built for modern operations.

Beyond performance and space efficiency, the ASUS NUC 16 Pro is built with business- focused features designed to support modern BPO and enterprise environments.

Equipped with dual LAN ports, it provides stable and reliable network connectivity for mission-critical operations. This allows IT teams to implement dedicated network configurations and redundancy support that can help minimize potential network interruptions in customer-facing environments.

Its compact and versatile design also simplifies large-scale deployment, enabling faster installation, easier maintenance, and more efficient workstation management across multiple office locations. For businesses expanding operations, the lightweight form factor helps reduce logistical complexity compared to traditional desktop towers.

Complementing these advantages is Power Sync support with the ASUS VA249HG monitor, enabling synchronized power control between devices to streamline workstation management while supporting more energy-efficient workplace operations.

As the BPO industry continues to evolve, organizations need workstation solutions that balance performance, reliability, scalability, and operational efficiency.

The combination of the ASUS NUC 16 Pro and ASUS VA249HG offers a compact yet powerful workstation setup designed for modern business demands. From space-saving advantages and simplified deployment to enterprise-ready performance and reliable connectivity, it provides businesses with a smarter alternative to traditional desktop environments.

For organizations looking to modernize workplace infrastructure while optimizing operational efficiency, ASUS NUC delivers a scalable and future-ready solution built for the evolving needs of modern BPO operations.

Explore ASUS NUC solutions and submit inquiries via the official ASUS Business Solutions page: https://www.asus.com/ph/event/BusinessSolutionInquiryPage/

You may also connect with our Authorized Distributors: Techtron Systems Corporation, VST ECS Phils. & Ubertech Inc or authorized ASUS dealers nationwide for specifications, availability, and tailored deployment support.

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Shares of Cipla inched up on heavy volumes on Friday, after the company’s first quarter earnings beat the consensus estimate. On the BSE, the stock closed at Rs 315.45, up 0.5% over its previous close, with 2.84 lakh shares — twice the 2-week average daily volume —being traded. Dealers tracking the stock said the ‘Big Daddy’ of insurance companies was a key buyer. However, traders who had built up positions in anticipation of good quarterly numbers, chose to book profits, thus restricting gains in the stock.

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Friday announced a host of measures to attract foreign currency inflows, aimed at strengthening external buffers, even as the six-member rate-setting committee voted to keep the policy rate unchanged at 5.25% and maintained a neutral stance.

RBI took steps to attract overseas investors into government bonds and equities, provided public sector units time-bound incentives to raise external commercial borrowings (ECB), and agreed to bear the hedging cost on fresh three- to five-year FCNR(B) deposits, among other measures.

“As a result of these measures on FCNR(B) and ECBs, and initiatives taken by the government on bonds and trade agreements, we are quite confident of a very healthy balance of payments, compared to what it would have been otherwise,” said RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra at the post-policy press meet.

The central bank revised inflation forecast upward to 5.1%, from 4.6%, and lowered its growth forecast for FY27 to 6.6%, from 6.9% projected in the previous policy.

“Adverse implications of extended disruptions in supply chains and elevated energy prices are reflected in moderation of growth and increase in inflation projections from the April policy,” the governor said, while revising forecasts in his second policy following the West Asia crisis. He stated that “although risks of higher inflation have amplified, the MPC felt it would be prudent to wait for greater clarity to emerge.”

The measures to attract inflows come amid outflows of $13.7 billion by foreign institutional investors from the equity market and are likely to support the rupee, which has fallen 4.1%, or about four rupees, since the start of the US-Iran conflict.Malhotra said he expects strong inflows but declined to put a number to them while adding that he expects banks to pass on the benefits of lower hedging costs to customers. Chairman State Bank of India CS Setty said, “These steps should help enhance capital inflows, deepen bond markets, improve liquidity and provide support to the rupee.”

Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief economic adviser, State Bank of India, said the measures would result in a potential capital flow of at least $40 billion, a pullback in the rupee toward 92-93 levels, and a pause in the August policy.

Madhavi Arora, chief economist, Emkay Global Financial Services, expects inflows of $30-50 billion over the year, while Aastha Gudwani, chief economist at Barclays, said the measures could add about $5 billion a month.

Economists said the policy is supportive of growth but has overlooked rising inflation risks. These would stem from higher oil prices following the West Asia crisis.

However, the governor defended the stance, stating that the 4% inflation target is “not in abeyance” and remains “sacrosanct.”

“This target is to be met over a period. It is a medium-term target, and it is not advisable to take action for every small deviation, as that could have disproportionate consequences for growth,” Malhotra said. The governor highlighted that the economy is facing uncertainty over the nature and duration of the conflict, as well as the time needed for the restoration of supplies. He also noted uncertainty around the monsoon and the impact of El Niño, both of which have implications for inflation and growth.

The NSE Nifty 50 index declined 0.21% to 23,366.7. The 10-year government bond yield fell four basis points to close at 6.97%, while the rupee gained 84 paise to close at 94.95 on Friday.

Upasna Bhardwaj, a senior economist at Kotak Mahindra Bank, expects a 50-basis point rate hike in October, while Arora said RBI will raise rates only if inflation becomes entrenched. The governor reiterated that RBI would “look through” shocks unless inflation becomes broad-based and persistent or starts getting embedded in expectations.

On the upward revision in inflation forecasts, RBI said in its statement that the pass-through of higher oil prices could exert upward pressure in the coming months as firms pass on input costs.

MUMBAI: Lovable Lingerie is the third-best performing stock among companies listed this year, with it doubling in value, as traders bet it could repeat the performance of Page Industries, sellers of Jockey innerwear.

It gained a third in about a week. But the small float and low delivery volumes is an alert against wagering on it for some who fear it may have risen beyond its fundamentals when many other newly-listed companies are trading below their sale price.

“The rally in Lovable Lingerie is more a momentum play with hardly any genuine interest,” says Sharad Rathi, associate director at Almondz Global Securities.

“The valuations seem to be a bit out of whack.” Lovable that sold shares at Rs 205 apiece, has risen 109% to Rs 428.5 on Friday after touching a high of Rs 462.50. Some of the top shareholders include HDFC Mutual Fund, SBI Funds, UTI Asset management and Fidelity, filings show.

Total outstanding shares of the firm is at 1.68 crore and public holding is about 50 lakh shares. The Sensex was down 2.6% during the period and the BSE IPO index was up 1.6%. Fineotex Chemical and C Mahendra Exports are the two companies that have returned more than Lovable, among this years’ IPOs.

The stock trades at 31 times forecast earnings for fiscal 2012, compared with Page Industries’ 27 times its earnings. Although the stock had been among the top traded in the last few days, gaining to limit on some days, the number of shares that changed had remained negligible. The quantity of shares actually changing hands — was in single digit for many days.
The delivery ratio was 2% to 9% between June 10 and 17 when the stock moved up 33% on BSE, exchange data show. This follows the performance of Page Industries which has gained 396% since its IPO in March 2007. Shares that were sold at Rs 396 apiece are trading at Rs 1,784. “Rising disposable incomes and growing awareness about personal hygiene are boosting growth of the innerwear market in India,” said Anand Rathi Secutities in a recent report. “Also enhancing this growth is the rising modern trade malls, shopping complexes etc,” said the brokerage which has a target price of Rs 430.

The Mumbai-based company’s Rs 93-crore IPO drew good response with it getting subscribed 21.8 times the institutional portion, 98.5 times among wealthy individuals and 20.5 times in the retail category. Rise in raw material prices and intensifying competition are the two risks for earnings growth, the report said.

Shares of cigarette companies have rallied over the past one month, with the three leading cigarette makers ITC, Godfrey Philips and VST Industries hitting record highs. All the three stocks have posted robust returns in the past one year, significantly outperforming the benchmark Sensex, helped by favourable taxation and increase in cost of competing tobacco products.

Unlike previous years, the central government has not increased excise duty on cigarettes in the budget for this fiscal, though states have varyingly raised value added tax (VAT). While northern states such as Rajasthan have significantly raised VAT on cigarettes, all the southern states have spared the sector from a major increase. In contrast, competing tobacco products such as ‘pan masala’ and chewing tobacco have witnessed cost increases in the form of higher taxation and a rise in raw material cost.

Also, prices of tobacco have remained benign compared with higher prices of ‘tendu’ leaves that are used for manufacturing ‘beedis’. The cigarette industry has cashed in on the rise in beedi prices by competitively pricing low-end and micro filter cigarettes to lure ‘beedi’ smokers to cheaper cigarettes. Also, contrary to its earlier plans the government decided to issue less gory pictorial warnings on cigarette packets, which has aided sentiment in the stocks.
In the quarter ended June, VST Industries reported a 90% year-on-year jump in net profit. ITC, which is yet to declare its first quarter earnings, is expected to have witnessed a pick-up in cigarette volumes despite price increases in some of its products. Going forward, the rally in cigarette companies is likely to continue as all factors seem to be positive for the sector.
Analysts expect cigarette companies to report strong earnings growth driven by higher volumes, price increases and lower expenses.

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